Cynthia Franklin is the senior associate director for the Leonard N. Stern School's W.R. Berkley Innovation Lab at New York University. There she oversees the development and implementation of various initiatives that nurture entrepreneurial talent at NYU. Each year, the Berkley Innovation Lab serves hundreds of students, alums and other aspiring entrepreneurs through its venture competitions (which awards more than $200,000 in cash and services), venture mentor network, conferences, speaker series and technical assistance programs. Cynthia is also the instructor for Strategic Steps for Growth, an innovative nine-month management development program designed for CEOs of high-potential minority and women owned businesses and offered by the New York City Department of Small Business Services in partnership with the Berkley Innovation Lab. By completion of the program in 2011, companies in the founding class had secured millions in new government contracts and new financing, and created dozens of new jobs. Prior to joining the Berkley Innovation Lab, Cynthia was executive vice president of KIP Communications, a b-to-b marketing and media company she cofounded. The company's flagship publication, the award-winning KIP Business Report newspaper, provided in-depth reporting on the business and economic issues impacting urban entrepreneurs and professionals. She was also co-producer of KIP Business Report Success Stories, a weekly television segment profiling entrepreneurs which aired on WCBS-TV and The KIP Business Report, a popular morning drive-time radio program focused on small business issues. For her work with startups and small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship and economic development in urban communities, Cynthia has received numerous honors and awards including from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NYC Mayor's Office, and many others. She has appeared on or been featured in MSNBC's Your Business, Crain's NY Business, The New York Times, and Essence magazine as well as a host of other media outlets. Cynthia is a Stern alumna with an MBA in management and a graduate of Bernard M. Baruch College where she earned a BBA, magna cum laude.